Haha would you consider 19 to be very young? I am certainly young in terms of plying cards and experience. I have only been collecting for just over 2 months now and have learned tons already. As I can see though, I have a lot more to learn.
It is tough juggle my time between reading the discourse and studying for finals… The discourse normally wins lol
I really am interested in getting my hands on a marked deck sometime. I might wait for these cards to go public and then pick up a deck on ebay or something.
I was probably a pre-teen when I discovered my first DeLand deck. I'm 46 now...
Don you are such an old fart hehehehe
Speedy funny you mention marked decks. Was browsing decks on ebay like I do every night and saw this old marked deck
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-LOMBARDY-Playing-Cards-early-ENARDOE-Marked-Stripped-Card-Deck-/310823182152?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item485e815f48
That deck will NOT stay at that price for long... He'll be better off with something newer, unless he wants a museum piece to show off. It's not a practical deck for everyday use.
Some better marked decks to obtain:
These four decks are either readily available or are limited and sold out but still selling in the aftermarket for reasonable prices. They employ a marking system you have to learn before using.
- Ellusionist Madison Dealers
- Theory11 Madison Players
- Phoenix Apocalypse 2012
- Boris Wild Marked Deck (I've heard some negative reviews on this one and they're becoming scarce now that they're out of print; his Gambler's Decks are better)
These three decks are also either readily available or are limited and sold out but still selling in the aftermarket. They don't have a system to learn - the backs are as easily read as the fronts when you know where to look.
- Bicycle Split Spades in black (David Blaine's Mind-Reading Deck)
- Gambler's Deck, red Bicycle Maiden Back
- GT Speedreader Marked Deck, red Bicycle Mandolin Back
These deck are "Holy Grail" decks - you'll never see them reprinted again. They were printed before the ban by USPC Legal on alterations to the Rider Back. The marks are as easy to read as the faces if you know where to look. They were never cheap to start with and they're getting less and less cheap by the month. For subtlety, the second deck is better than the first, but also not as versatile from a magician's perspective.
- Gambler's Deck, red Bicycle Rider Back - includes instruction book with tricks.
- Ultimate Marked Deck, red and blue Bicycle Rider Back - applications book sold separately.
OK, now that I've milked that tangent for all it is worth, let's get back to the new Mana decks!
